Bugs, Insects Activities and Lesson Plans

For the Bugs or Insects theme one recommendation to read is the book Ten Flashing Fireflies by Philemon Sturges. This is a delightful counting and rhyming book. The book can also be used to introduce adding or subtracting and kindness to bugs. Click on the title link to read reviews of the book.
Follow-up Activities:
1. Have ten flashlights available and act out the story. This could introduce counting, adding or subtracting.
2. Take a closer look at the rhyming words within the book. Have children change the initial consonant letter sound creating a new rhyming word. Discuss if this word is a real or nonsense word.
3. Discuss the ending of the story and how the children demonstrated appreciation for the bugs by releasing them.

Craft Suggestion - Firefly Craft
Paint wooden ice cream spoons with glow in the dark neon paint for the body. Cut wax or tissue paper for wings and glue these onto the body. Add finishing touches.

You will find more information in the links below. Press the back button to return back to this page.

Firefly and Lightning Beetle Facts

Preschool and Kindergarten Activities

Weather Theme Lesson Plans and Activities

I have listed the books that relate to the Weather theme below. Click on the titles of each book to read a review. Remember to press the back button to return back to this page.

1. Caps, Hats, Socks and Mittens: A Book About the Four Seasons by Louise Borden. A great book to use for introducing or reviewing the four seasons. It is done in a manner that will be enjoyed by young learners.

2. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett

3. Snowballs by Lois Ehlert

4. Rain by Robert Kalan and Donald Crews

5. The Snowman by Raymond Briggs

6. The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats

Click here for more Preschool and Kindergarten activities related to the Weather theme.

Weather Theme Lesson Plans and Activities

One book I would highly recommend for the Weather Theme is Little Cloud by Eric Carle. In the book little cloud moves across the sky changing into shapes like sheep, airplane, shark, trees, rabbit, hat and a clown. At the end he joined all the other clouds and turned into one big cloud and rained.
This book offers some wonderful follow-up activities:

1. Discussion on what a cloud is and how rain is formed. Check the link below for more information:
Information on Clouds

2. Craft - children can make their own shape clouds. Some of the images in the book are simplistic enough for children to even copy them. This could later be made into a big book.

The link below gives you more ideas:
Preschool and Kindergarten Activities

Space and Robots Lesson Plans and Activities

I highly recommend the book , “Hello Robots” by Bob Staake. In the book robots do different chores. Each robot has a different name with a chore to do. This is a delightful and funny rhyming book. Children will enjoy the pictures and the funny rhymes. Click on the title link to get more information on the book

Follow-up Activities
Since this is a rhyming book it offers a good opportuntiy to strengthen children's phonemic awareness. The book can be read several times and each time leave out the rhyming word; the children must complete the sentence with the word.

Math
The picture of the robots in this book offer a good opportunity to review shapes and colors. The robots come in a variety of shapes and colors. The children can make robots of different shapes and colors using pattern blocks.
Pattern Blocks

You will find more suggestions on our sister site in the link below:
Kindergarten and Preschool Activities

Space and Robots Lesson Plans and Activities

A good book to read with young children related to the Space Theme is "There's No Place Like Space" which is from the Cat and the Hat Learning Library. It is written by Tish Rabe and illustrated by Aristides Ruiz. Click on the title of the story for more information. The book introduces the children to the planets and gives simple and interesting information about each one. The book also introduces the children to the concept of constellations, stars, sun and moon. Use of rhyme is scattered throughout the book, which allows for phonemic awareness activities. Below is a suggestion list of possible follow-up activities.

Craft
Children paint and decorate a paper towel roll. These can be used as telescopes. The children pretend to be viewing some the sights mentioned in the story. See if they can give
you some information on their findings.

Math - Capacity
In the book it mentions that it takes a million Earths to fit inside the sun, that is how big it is. In the link below you will find a sun and smaller pictures of the Earth. Have children predict how many Earths will fit in this sun. See how closely you can fit the Earths together to find the answer.

Earth and Sun Templates

More Suggestions in the link below:

Kindergarten and Preschool Activities

Transportation Theme Activities and Lesson Plans

Another book that is good to read with the Transportation theme is "School Bus" by Donald Crews. It is another easy read book. It takes children through the day of a school bus. Click on the title link for a more detailed description (press the back button to return back to this blog).

Follow-up Craft Activity
Click on the link below for a craft suggestion.
Transportation Activities and Lesson Plans

Follow-up Songs
In the link below you will find related songs.
Transportation Songs

Follow-up Transportation Games
In the link below you will find follow-up transportation games
Transportation Games

More Transportation Books

1. Airport by Byron Barton
2. All Aboard ABC by Doug Magee and Robert Newman
3. Cars by Anne Rockwell
4. Ferryboat Ride by Anne Rockwell
5. Planes by Anne Rockwell
6. Trains by Anne Rockwell
7. Truck by Donald Crews
8. The Wheels on the Bus by Paul O. Zelinsky
9. Two Little Trains by Margaret Wise Brown
10. Round Trip by Ann Jonas
11. I Love Trains by Philemon Sturges
12. School Buses by Dee Ready

Transportation Theme Lesson Plans and Activities

One book I would recommend to read for the Transportation theme activities is "Freight Train" by Donald Crews. It is a simple read book where the pictures portray the train moving. It is a good book to read to review colors. It is also a good introduction to the the different type of train cars and what they are used for. Click on the link on the title to read a more detailed description (press the back button to return back to this blog).

Follow-up Activities
A predictable chart with sentence strips to fit in a pocket chart would be a great follow-up activity. The text could read:

I see a red train car.
I see a blue train car.
I see a purple train.
Continue using the various color words you would like to use.

NOTE: If you are a member of my sister site, you will find pictures that can be used to accompany the text.

Information on predictable charts can be found in the link below:
Predictable Charts

Craft Follow-up
A craft follow-up activity is posted on my sister website Preschool and Kindergarten Activities

Another Literature Link
The book "The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper" would also be a good choice of books to use in conjuntion with this theme. Click on the title of the book to read a review. The could also
be accompanied with a predictable chart for the children to complete.
I can_______________.
I can_______________.